Monday, April 11, 2011

The Werewolves of Baton Rouge—Alicia Round 8

This is the house of Alicia Winchester, her husband Connor, and their teen daughter Selene.  Check out the family tree for this round.

Alicia Winchester

  1. Loves the Outdoors
  2. Excitable
  3. Ambitious
  4. Friendly
  5. Flirty

LTW—Reach the top of the Medical Career—Achieved!

Connor Baum Winchester

  1. Loves the Outdoors
  2. Flirty
  3. Schmoozer
  4. Athletic
  5. Snob

LTW—Perfect Nectar Cellar—Achieved! 

Selene Winchester

  1. Perceptive
  2. Disciplined
  3. Athletic
  4. Brave

Alicia and Connor have been married for quite a while now, about fifteen years, but they are still very much in love.  They make time for ‘couple time’ despite their very busy careers in medicine and business.  They share goals too.  Currently they’re working on trying to find a way to get back to France and get to that little island and get those extra special grapes.  That will complete the last exotic fruit I’m missing in my neighborhood.

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To reach that goal, Alicia’s trying to get into better shape so that she can clear those piles of ruble faster.  She’s still jogging daily with her sister Christy.

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Then Christy often stays for dinner with the family.

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Connor’s still working hard at his nectar making.  Although he’s already achieved his lifetime want, I achieved that by just having him buy a bunch of nectar.  I want to make him complete all of the skill challenges with nectar making, so that means he’s at the machine pretty much constantly.  I don’t really want to do nectar making again with another sim.  I just don’t find it that much fun.

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It’s hard finding time for the nectar making, though.   Connor’s the CEO of Landgrab Industries and is in long meetings all day long.  He loves his job and the fame and prestige it brings, but it doesn’t leave much time for harvesting fruit and creating nectar.

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Selene spends all of her time working out, learning karate, or spending time with her cousins Sookie and Daniel. 

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I’m not sure why, but Selene and Daniel have really hit it off since childhood and have remained close friends.  Daniel even comes over to spend the night frequently, but he’s polite enough to just crash on the couch.  The Cormier family seems really tight knit, and I know Daniel loves his little brother Alex more than anything else in the world, so I’m not sure why he comes to crash on the couch at the Winchester’s so often.  Maybe he’s afraid to admit to his mom and dad that he’s stupid.  Rene and Amber are very nice, loving parents and would understand, but maybe he’s too ashamed and doesn’t want them to know.  So I guess he comes and spends long hours working on his homework at Selene’s house.  Yeah, that makes sense.  He IS always doing homework there.

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Something’s horribly wrong with Alicia!  Oh no! What is it?  Food poisoning?  The flu?  She’s over forty, so it couldn’t be … couldn’t possibly be …

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Yep, pregnancy. 

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Alicia and Connor got a little surprise late in life.  Well, what really happened is that I’d made myself promise they couldn’t have any other children because of population control and I finally caved.  I really wanted them to have another little girl.  So much for population control rules.

“Connor!!!  Connor!!”  Alicia had forgotten how difficult sim labor really was.  It had been sixteen years since her last delivery.

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Congratulations, it’s a girl.

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Grace Winchester

  1. Friendly
  2. Excitable

Connor was absolutely exhausted after the delivery.  He’d stayed up all night with Alicia at the hospital, and had to be back into work as a corporate CEO in just a few short hours.  He hardly even had time to catch a quick nap.  Poor Connor.  And then he fell asleep at work during a meeting and horribly embarrassed himself!  Being at the top of the business career and a new daddy is hard.

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Luckily Christy agreed to come help out around the house.  She remembered all too well how hard it was to keep up with things after having a baby, well three in Christy’s case, but hers were old enough now that she could come over and help out while Connor was at work and her kids were at school.

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On her way to Uncle Alcide’s training dummy to work on her karate skills for the day, Selene noticed the hottest guy she had ever seen walking down the street.  He was a total stranger, but Selene had to try a pick-up line on him.  He was just way too hot to pass up.  Why oh why did she have to be wearing her karate uniform when she met Mr. Hottie?

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“Excuse me, have you seen my bed?”

“Uh, your what?  Your bed?  N-n-no.”

“Well, then, I’ll just have to show it to you.”

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As it turned out, the guy was not just hot, but also sweet and kind, but unfortunately very shy and easily frightened.  Selene had to turn it down a notch, but they got to talking and quickly discovered they did have a lot in common.  They both loved athletics and children.  Selene managed to convince this new love interest, Quentin Hardesty, to come over to her house for a date the next day.

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Selene immediately served Quentin a home-cooked meal.  Although she wasn’t that into cooking herself, she’d always heard that the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach, and she could already tell she wanted this hottie’s heart.

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“Thank you so much for inviting me over to your home, Selene.  You really have made it feel so warm and inviting.  My own home … well, it’s … it’s … I’m not very welcome there,” Quentin said.

“What do you mean?” Selene asked with worry.  “Do your parents hurt you?”

“No, they just don’t care about me at all.  My older sister is the golden child, and I am just an accident they wish would go away,” Quentin explained.

“Well, you can stay over here as much as you’d like.  My cousin Daniel sleeps on the couch and stays for breakfast all the time.  I can’t possibly imagine why my father would care if you did the same.”  In the back of her mind, Selene also vowed to never make her baby sister feel like that.  Grace might have been an accident, but she was special to all of them.

Selene had to ease Quentin into it, but eventually she got him flirting back with her, once she made it very clear she wasn’t going to reject him, and after she promised not to hurt him.

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Selene learned that Quentin was on her high school football team, but he considered himself a loser of no real benefit to the team.  Still, he loved the sport, so he continued to play.  Selene doubted the loser part, but she loved talking football with Quentin anyway.

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Selene suggested they watch some NFL Network and maybe cuddle on the couch

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The potential couch make-out session was prematurely interrupted by Selene’s Uncle Matty, who showed up waaaay to early for Grace’s birthday party.  Just look at Selene’s face!  Boy, you sure can tell how she feels about being interrupted.  And Quentin’s completely oblivious, deeply immersed in the game discussion.

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Oh well, time for Grace’s birthday.  As always with Winchester birthday parties, the relatives good at cooking were kind enough to bring the party food, because Alicia and Connor definitely did not have the time to cook between raising a baby and their careers and hobbies.

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Sam was even kind enough to swap some recipes with Alicia and give her some pointers on quick, family cooking.

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What a party!  Even Uncle Matty got up dancing.

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Grace is about to blow out the candles on her birthday cake.  Does anyone want to come sing happy birthday?

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I guess they’re all too busy partying.  Apparently it’s going to be immediate family only for this grow-up.

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Grace Winchester

  1. Friendly
  2. Excitable
She’s so beautiful!  Doesn’t she look just like a little doll?

Selene was the firs to scoop up her little sister and wish her happy birthday.  She was careful to tell her just how much she loved her and how happy she was to have her in her life.

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Connor took the opportunity to question the man that was apparently Selene’s new love interest.  “What kind of career are you going to have to support my daughter with?  It’s only the best for her, you know?”

“I don’t … um …. I don’t know, sir.  I’m kind of just an unwanted loser …”

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Selene had to step in and save Quentin from her father. She knew Connor meant well, but he was a snob, and Quentin was so fragile.  She quickly handed Grace off to Aunt Frances, then took Quentin off into the other room for a big hug.

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“I’m so sorry I’m not good enough for you, Selene,” Quentin apologized.

“Shh, don’t talk like that.  Of course you are.  Forget about what my father said.  Let’s just dance and have a good time.”

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And they did.  In fact, everyone did.  It was a great party.  Seeing young romance bloom even brought back memories for Matty and Brenna and got them dancing together again.

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Hmm, even at the party Daniel decided he had to study.  He even talked his cousin Christopher into helping him.  I tell you, that boy is always studying.  Poor, stupid Daniel.

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After the fun of such an awesome party, it was time to get down to business and work on skills again.  Luckily Grace had several loving family members to play with her and teach her her toddler skills.  She seems to have taken an early interest in music.

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Alicia decided it was time to have the birds and the bees talk with Selene while they were working out one day.  Selene agreed, rather reluctantly, to wait awhile before taking things too far with Quentin.

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Connor still isn’t taking the whole thing too well.  He’s not ready for his oldest daughter to be dating, and he doesn’t really approve of Selene’s choice.  He thinks his daughter should be dating the star quarterback.

“Promise Daddy you’ll never grow-up, baby Grace.  You’ll never take an interest in stupid boys.  Be Daddy’s little girl forever.”

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Accomplishments this round for this house:

  • Connor completed the Master Farmer Skill Challenge—yeah, I garden too much with so many of my sims. I just love gardening.
  • Connor reached level 10 in Nectar Making, finally.  He also became a Mix Master by making 15 different nectar combinations.
  • Alicia completed the Amateur Ichthyologist Challenge.  That was totally unplanned, just randomly happened because she likes fishing.

Gnome Sightings:

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Spying on the Neighbors:

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Apparently Alcide took Sookie out into the yard to teach her how to throw a football.  I don’t think that pose looks right, Sookie.

Accomplishment Tracker

Lifetime Wants Accomplished:

  • Top of Military Career—Jessie
  • Raise Six Children from Baby to Teen—Morgana
  • Perfect Aquarium—Matty
  • Visionary—Allyson
  • Have a household net worth of 100,000 simoleons—Brenna
  • Illustrious Author—Amber
  • Creature-Robot Cross Breeder—Toby
  • Superstar Athlete—Alcide
  • Top of Medical Career—Alicia
  • Bottomless Nectar Cellar—Connor
  • Firefighter Superhero—Andres      

Top of Careers Accomplished:

  • Military—Jessie
  • Forensics—Morgana
  • Medical—Matty, Alicia
  • Rock Music—Brenna 
  • Firefighter—Andres
  • Business—Connor
  • Science—Toby
  • Sports—Alcide

Skill Challenges Accomplished:

  • Athletic—Fitness Nut (Cardio)—Jessie, Tommy
  • Athletic—Marathon Runner—Jessie, Alcide
  • Athletic—Strong Man (Strength)—Alcide
  • Charisma—Celebrity—Frances, Allyson, Sookie
  • Charisma—Personable—Frances, Allyson, Rene, Sookie, Christopher
  • Charisma—Super Friendly Sim—Frances, Rene
  • Collecting—Amateur Rock Collector—Tommy
  • Collecting—Gem Collector—Tommy
  • Collecting—Metal Collector—Tommy
  • Fishing—Amateur Ichthyologist—Matty, Alicia
  • Fishing—Commercial Fisherman—Matty 
  • Gardening—Botanical Boss—Toby, Sam, Connor, Sookie
  • Gardening—Master Farmer—Toby, Sam, Connor
  • Gardening—Master Planter—Toby
  • Guitar—Master Guitarist—Brenna 
  • Handiness—Plumber—Jessie, Matty
  • Handiness—Tinkerer—Jessie
  • Logic—Celestial Explorer—Alicia
  • Martial Arts—Timber Terminator Challenge—Alcide
  • Nectar Making—Mix Master—Connor
  • Painting—Brushmaster—Amber 
  • Painting—Proficient Painter—Allyson
  • Painting—Master Painter—Allyson
  • Photography—Photog Skill Challenge—Allyson
  • Writing—Specialist Writer Skill Challenge—Amber
  • Writing—Speed Writer—Amber
  • World Adventures—Rubble Excavator—Alicia  

Current score in The Completion Challenge:  103